NCAA Basketball: Smart’s hot seat, Duke’s weakness and more takeaways

4) The Pac-12 is trying to make themselves a one-bid league

The Big Ten isn’t the only conference cannibalizing itself – the Pac-12 is doing it, too. Except in the Pac-12, that might limit the conference to just one bid come Selection Sunday.

A few weeks ago, as many as five teams (Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington) had hopes of make the NCAA Tournament. Some were stronger than most, obviously, but there was a clear pathway for all five.

Then the bottom fell out for nearly all of them.

Arizona has lost three of their last four games after starting Pac-12 play with a 4-0 record. Oregon State also started conference play 3-0, but have since lost three of their last four games. Oregon is only 2-4 in the Pac-12 while Arizona State lost to a bad USC team on Saturday.

Washington is the only team that is still undefeated in the conference and I discussed last week why they’re going to in the Pac-12. They don’t have any bad losses on their resume and have a good chance to get an at-large bid. Arizona State has a chance because of some of their non-conference victories, but they are very much on the bubble.

The rest of the conference is likely on the outside looking in. So, unless ASU finds a way to right the ship, Washington might be the only Pac-12 team that goes dancing.